Pirates In Love: An Apprentice's Flame
by MysteriousMew
Summary: Just as she was free to return home, Ria's ship was attacked by dark powers caused by her brother, Cerin. Taken in by the Sirius crew, Ria begins her adventure with them, in particular, Thomas. But what happens when dark secrets are revealed and kingdoms are in danger? Can Ria rise up to meet the challenges? Or will she have to choose which path to take? A Pirates In Love fanfic.


**Pirates In Love: Apprentice's Flame**

**Prologue:**

**Clover**

Ria stood at the front of the ship, staring at the port of Yamato. There were reports of bandit and pirate activity plaguing the small port town and the Navy had requested the Order's assistance.

_We wouldn't be having this problem if we could get someone to watch over the pirates, _Ria thought bitterly, annoyed that she was being tasked this. After all, it had been over two years since she saw her family last on Iciuis.

This was her test, to prove whether or not she had what it took to be in the running for the throne and take the title as Mistress of Flames. It was the only way to ensure the throne stayed out of her youngest brother's hands.

"My lady," one of the soldiers bowed to her briefly as she turned to him. "What are your orders?"

"Prepare to dock and tell the men to get ready. I want this over and done with and no civilian casualties," Ria ordered him and he nodded before heading off, relying the message to the others. The blonde girl turned back to the port, her eyes narrowing as she couldn't shake off the sickening feeling in her stomach, like something bad was about to happen.

_Focus Ria, _she reminded herself, letting a small breath with flickers of embers in it. They danced in the wind before floating away as the ship began to dock.

The firebender walked off the ship with her men behind her, meeting up with one of the few Navy captains she actually liked and respected.

"Leonardo, I thought you'd be able to handle this," Ria called as the captain raised a brow at her.

"I wouldn't have asked for your help if I could handle it, Nuria," he informed her as she grinned before both turning serious.

"What do we have?" Ria questioned as they began walking slightly.

"Four pirate bands, two of them being the Rika and the Sirius pirates," Leonardo answered, pressing his glasses closer to his face. "And two bands of bandits in a smaller town a little further over."

Ria nodded, assessing the situation before turning to her men. "I want earth and half of the water benders to take care of the pirates. The rest of you, follow Leonardo's men to the outskirts of the city to arrest the bandits," she ordered as the Order and the Navy split up. "Cain, with me."

The raven black haired waterbender followed Ria's instruction as they headed into the town, finding it empty except for a few pirates in the streets.

"You're under arrest!" Ria declared as they stared at her and Cain, seeing the water at the male bender's side, ready to whip them. "If you come quietly and peacefully, we won't hurt you. Unless you wish to make this harder on yourselves."

The pirates responded by pulling out their swords.

Ria smirked. "I hoped you would say that."

**oOo**

Leonardo and Ria stood by as the pirates were rounded up and arrested, along with the bandits. "Thank you for your assistance, Nuria."

"It was nothing," Ria answered, crossing her arms over her chest and sighed tiredly. Leonardo noticed the hard look on her face and raised a brow.

"Something wrong?" the Navy captain asked her out of concern as their men returned to their ships. "Don't tell me one of those pirates got the best of you."

Ria ignored the way he spat at the word 'pirate' and fiddled with her golden sun amulet with a ruby in the middle. "It's time for me to return to Iciuis."

"For the throne?" he inquired and she gave a nod of confirmation. "I assumed you would be thrilled about it."

"I'm only taking the throne because I cannot allow Cerin to have it," Ria replied and that was all she was going to say on the matter. It didn't bother him anyway, having known all about the darkest member of the Fire royal family. Ria turned to Leonardo, hand outstretched with a polite smile on her face. "It was fun working together. All the best for the future."

"To you as well, your Highness," he smirked as she turned and headed towards her ship, without looking back. As their ship departed from the port, heading further out to sea until Yamato was no longer in sight, Ria could hear the excitement from the men as they sailed north.

"_Hircine voco te. Da mihi animam meam pro qua rogo, et accipe tibi obtuli. Tolle quod tuum est Nuria anima..."_

Ria frowned, hearing the voice in the wind and feeling the dark, twisted magic in the air.

"My lady! There is a pentegram underneath the ship!" the navigator shouted as Ria ran to the side of the boat, finding it was true. A dark purple pentagram, with runes running along the side appeared on the ocean, underneath their ship.

_Cerin the bastard! _Ria cursed as she turned to her men, their expectant looks watching and waiting for her orders. The firebender clenched her fists at her sides, knowing the curse was set up for her specifically.

"Prepare to leave the ship. I want all waterbenders to carry everyone else to safety and head back to Yamato," she ordered and they began to protest. "Silence!"

The men fell silent.

"I want no arguments, this is an order from your captain and your crown princess. Now go!" she commanded as they began to follow the waterbenders off the side. Cain paused as Ria looked like she had to speak with him privately. She removed her amulet from her neck and handed it to him. "Cain, when you get to Yamato, contact Captain Leonardo of the Navy. Tell him this, '_darkness has swallowed the light.'"_

Cain's eyes hardened as he nodded, joining the others as they began to abandon the ship. By the time the men had left, the ship was slowly glowing purple as storm clouds above surrounded the ship.

Ria stood in the middle of the ship, closing her eyes as she felt the fire rise within her. While her brother's curse continued to dance in the wind, Ris sent a silent prayer to the goddess, Meridia.

_Meridia oro ad te. Oculi tui aperti super servos meos, et usque ad Yamato salutem, _Ria pleaded in her mind as the ship was hit by lightning and Ria grew unconscious.

**oOo**

She felt groggy and her body felt like a thousand hot needles had been stuck into her skin. Her head pounded slightly and something soft was underneath her.

Ria could hear footsteps and remained still, keeping her eyes shut. The sound of a door opening and voices of men registered in her mind.

"Is she awake yet?" a deep voice questioned as a gentle, slightly warm hand was placed on her forehead.

"Seems like it. Her body must be exhausted from the storm. Where do you think it came from?"

"It felt like dark magic," the deep voice answered. "Her ship must have been caught in whatever those benders were involved in. When she wakes up, alert me straight away."

"Aye, captain," footsteps left the room and the door closed. "You can wake up now."

Ria stiffened as she was surprised that he knew she was awake. Slowly, she opened her golden eyes and saw a man with dark skin smiling warmly at her.

"My name is Christopher," he introduced himself, helping her to sit up. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I drowned," Ria answered as he handed her a cup of water. The firebender drank it slowly, pacing herself as Christopher checked her vital signs. "Where am I?"

"You're on the Sirius."

"...As in the Siruis pirates?"

Christopher nodded, watching her cautiously just in case she had a negative reaction to the news. But she just nodded, well aware of how the Sirius pirates worked. From the reports she had read, they didn't attack towns or ports, injury women or children. In fact, they just searched for treasure and their captain was the Pirate King.

"We found you unconscious, adrift in a wreckage after a storm blew out of nowhere. Eduardo, our navigator, was disturbed by how quick it came," Christopher informed her as he handed her a herbal tea to get her strength back.

Ria didn't say anything as she sipped her tea, feeling her strength return to her. Christopher watched before realising something and chuckled out of embarrassment.

"I forgot to ask you your name," he said and she nodded, her fingers automatically reaching out to fiddle with her amulet, only to be met with nothing. It was then she remembered she gave it to Cain and sighed.

"My name is Nuria, but I preferred to be called Ria," the firebender informed the dark skinned pirate who smiled gently at the name. She drank the rest of her tea before getting up and placing it on a table, heading for the door. "I believe your captain wanted to see me as soon as I awoke."

Christopher chuckled at her polite tone as he escorted her to the deck, finding the men already there and waiting. "Guys, attention please!"

The men stopped talking and looked over, finding the girl awake and no longer unconscious.

"Awake huh? You looked like shit when we found you," the one with two swords at his side snorted.

"Russell!" Christopher scolded him as Ria glared at him before turning her attention to the captain.

"You have my gratitude for saving my life," Ria bowed in respect before standing up straight while the captain smiled at her in amusement. "I believe you have some questions for me."

"Aye, what was that storm? It was unnatural," he commented and she nodded in agreement.

"It was caused by dark magic, from a firebender called Cerin," she informed them and the one with the eye patched raised a brow at her, a little suspicious.

"And why would you know this?" he challenged as she looked at them calmly.

"Because Cerin is my brother."

They fell silent before realising what she meant and pulled out their weapons. The only one who didn't was Christopher and a younger lad with orange hair.

"So you're a bender? We should have just left you to die," the eye patch pirate snarled as Russell looked at her with a challenge in his eyes.

"I can take you on!" he exclaimed, charging at her with his swords at the ready. Not wanting to fight, Ria side-stepped and began to jab his pressure points, knocking him flat onto the ground. "The fuck did you do?!"

Ria ignored him and focused her attention on the captain who looked impressed as he laughed.

"This is some entertainment...perfect under the full moon," he laughed, striding over and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I made a decision! This woman is now a member of Sirius!"

"Captain! You're out of your mind! She's a bender!" the one with the bandanna exclaimed as the captain shrugged his shoulders, not caring one bit.

"Look at what she did to me!" Russell shouted from the floor and the eye patch pirate smirked at him.

"Yeah, you were taken down by a girl," he snickered as Russell glared at his mate.

"All the more reason to have her join. Besides, I was wondering that this ship is reeking too much of male sweat," the captain grinned, winking at her slightly and she swallowed.

"It's captain's orders," Russell sighed before barking for Christopher to help him. Christopher pressed the pressure points lightly, allowing Russell to move once more.

"I appreciate what you've done for me, but I need to get to Iciuis," Ria explained to the captain but he shook his head. "Why not?"

"We're on a voyage for Skull Island. Once we've found it, you can get off at the next port and head for Iciuis," he explained to her and her face fell slightly. "Now, choose someone to room with since we don't have a spare room for you."

* * *

**Song: Clover by The Sketchbook**

**Unfortunately, I can't continue Eduardo's one since I now have to buy it to get the dialogue. So since he'll be skipped, it's onto Thomas! Hopefully you'll enjoy him and squeal over the cuteness like I do.**


End file.
